Kilimanjaro

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Brave Inca

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Hi All,

I'm considering climbing/hiking/walking/crawling to the summit of Kilimanjaro, would appreciate advice from anyone that has been there.

Rgds
Brave Inca
 
Hi.
My mum did it recently (The oldest irish woman to reach the summit) I will point her to this thread.
Good luck.
 
Hi Twowheels,

Thx for that.........information and inspiration all in one. Look forward to hearing about your mum's adventure.

Rgds
Brave Inca
 
I 'did' Kilimanjaro in 1997. Let me know if you have specific questions and I'll try to recall.
 
I climbed Kilimanjaro a few years ago. As far as I remember it was 4 days to climb up and 2 days to go down. The first 3 days were relatively easy and it got difficult on the last day due to lack of oxygen. The food cooked by the sherpa's was really bad but other than that it was a fantastic trip.
 
How much was the trip up the mountain cost? Do you have to be experienced to attempt the climb?
 
Can't remember the cost. No you don't need to be an experienced climber. There is no real climbing involved it's only walking. It gets a bit steeper on the last day but it's like walking up a steep hill! (without much oxygen!!)
 
doberden said:
Can't remember the cost. No you don't need to be an experienced climber. There is no real climbing involved it's only walking. It gets a bit steeper on the last day but it's like walking up a steep hill! (without much oxygen!!)
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Depending on the route taken (there's more than one), it can be trickier. We went to Gilman's Point from Kibo Hut and it was tough. We spent most of previous day walking followed by just a few hours rest. We started for Gilmans after midnight. The climb to Gilmans took about 6 hours and most of that was spent trudging in what can best be described as deep gravel. Every time you took a step forward, it slid back a bit from when you placed it.

Think of the time of night, the number of footsteps taken in this manner in 6 hours, 15-18000 feet ASL and the sound of fellow 'climbers' reacting to the challenge, emotionally and physically, in different ways.

Describing it as 'walking up a steep hill', to me, undersells the experience. Suffice is to say that when you reach the summit, you know you have achieved something.
 
Michael Crichton (he of ER and Jurassic Park fame) wrote a brilliant little book called Travels and one chapter is his experiences climbing Kilimanjaro.
While certain logistics (price etc...) may well have changed, the most important stuff about how difficult he found it physically should still be true. It makes for an interesting read.
 
Well it damn near killed me and the Other Half! And we did not reach the summit and we are both reasonably fit.

We were both absolutely hammered with altitude sickness - I've never had it before and have no intention of ever going through it again. There were 14 of us ( we went with Jagged Globe who are very good to travel with) and 10 completed the climb. Fitness and age seemed immaterial - although I don't think a 70 year old 40 a day smoker would much enjoy it. Everyone had done some prep training but I don't think anyone can assess the likelihood of altitude sickness.

I can still remember as I sat in Kibo camp (trying to work out if I had the energy to make the 20 minute trek to the toilet) watching 2 French 20 something girlies in runners and shoulder bags nonchalantly walking towards the camp utterly unmoved by sickness and thinking - how very unfair!

mf
 
mf1 said:
Fitness and age seemed immaterial .. I don't think anyone can assess the likelihood of altitude sickness.
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I agree.

There were 17 in our group and all made it to Gilmans. 16 went on to the summit. Of the 17. I was the only one not taking anything for altitude sickness.

Across the group, the ages ranged from mid 60s to mid 20s. There were all sorts of shapes and sizes. There was one guy who worked as a personal trainer, based in Sydney, and he was as poleaxed at the summit as the rest of us who would not have been anywhere near his level of physical fitness.

I went to the Tropical Medical Bureau in Dublin for the usual shots. They declined to prescribe me anything for altitude sickness. Their view was that if your body is in distress, you should not try to mask it. When in Tanzania I was told that the same drug is available there over the counter.
 
Hi All

Thanks for all the replies........plenty food for thought there. I've few more questions:

1) Has anyone booked this trip through trailfinders? and if so, any comments?
2) What level of fitness is required?
3) What is the best time of year to make the trip?
4) What is the easiest route to take to the summit?

Regards
Brave Inca

PS. Da missus wants to know if anyone has done this trip and stayed in Zanzibar for R&R afterwards.....comments please
 
Brave Inca said:
Hi All

Thanks for all the replies........plenty food for thought there. I've few more questions:

1) Has anyone booked this trip through trailfinders? and if so, any comments?
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Not me - I used a UK company called EXPLORE.

Brave Inca said:
2) What level of fitness is required?
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The guides encourage you to take it easy (polé, polé - Kiswahili for slowly, slowly). Before going I reckoned I needed the cariovascular fitness for 30 minutes sutained effort so, for that, I was running for 30 minutes twice a week before heading off. That said, there were others on the trip who did no preparation, and they made it OK. Also, altitude sickness is the one thing that can hammer you, regardless of fitness even with the anti- drug.

Brave Inca said:
3) What is the best time of year to make the trip?
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Can't say offhand, but sometime outside of the rainy season makes sense. The rain would only be a issue for the first 2 days - after that you're above cloud level !

Brave Inca said:
4) What is the easiest route to take to the summit?
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The route I used (Marangu ?) was well served with huts at each of the camps. For some of the other routes, you'd be camping each night. Once you get to 18000 feet, the last bit is the hardest, regardless of route.

Didn't do Zanzibar afterwards.
 
Hi TarfHead

Many thanks for your feedback - I'll probably use trailfinders as I have a gift voucher for them. Will have to work a wee bit on the fitness and then its fingers crossed on the altitude sickness piece.

Rgds
Brave Inca
 
Take time to aclimatize properly. there are no short cuts. Altitude sickenss can affect the fittest of people. If you get it once you are more likely to get it if you go to altitiude again. AFAIK even Edmund Hilary suffered from it in later years.
 
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